Fifth Week
I'm halfway through my experience abroad, and what a way to mark it than by spending the week in Berlin, Germany!
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| The Reichstag/Bundestag (German Parliament) |
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| Topography of Terror: Remains of the Berlin Wall and the center of Nazi Germany |
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| the famed Ampelman! |
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| Berliner Dom |
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| At the Checkpoint Charlie Museum with my favorite man, Winston Churchill |
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| Checkpoint Charlie...where people could cross between East and West during the Cold War |
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| Outside of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp |
To my girl Mary Schaaf: I apologize for the delay! Here, you may officially stalk my life :)
Berlin certainly was not my first choice when I learned that the Ireland group always takes a little excursion around Easter. At first, Dr. Hosey thought we would be going to Paris, and I was crushed when she informed us we were going to Berlin instead. I could not be more pleased to be wrong! Berlin is an absolutely wonderful city. We were there for three and half days and I still feel as if I didn't cover half of what I could have! About half of the time I spent getting scolded for doing stupid touristy awkward American things, but it's okay, the fun I had makes up for it.
Berlin certainly was not my first choice when I learned that the Ireland group always takes a little excursion around Easter. At first, Dr. Hosey thought we would be going to Paris, and I was crushed when she informed us we were going to Berlin instead. I could not be more pleased to be wrong! Berlin is an absolutely wonderful city. We were there for three and half days and I still feel as if I didn't cover half of what I could have! About half of the time I spent getting scolded for doing stupid touristy awkward American things, but it's okay, the fun I had makes up for it.
By 3:00 in the morning, we were all up and on the bus to the Dublin airport. Tom and Carmel Keith were awake and standing in the cold to see us off. They both gave me such big hugs and kisses on the cheek...I definitely teared up! We were on our way to the Deutschland, another hour ahead from home (that makes 6, if you're keeping track). When we were about to land, I looked out the window and to my surprise, there was snow! This was my first real snow since I've come overseas, and it was overall chillier in Germany than in Ireland. It's safe to say that I was really layered up...so much so that others in the group have identified me as the master of layering! (The maximum I've hit is two on the bottom and 5 on the top) Dr. Hosey hooked us up for the trip with three day passes on the U-Bahn AND the S-Bahn, and three day Berlin and Museum passes that basically got us in everywhere...I spent the majority of the trip with Lauren, Danielle, and Maire, and we took advantage of the passes. We walked from the train stop at the zoo to our hotel and dropped our things off. We got to relax for about an hour before we were off again, walking all around the city.
We saw the Brandenburg Gate which marked the official divide between East and West Germany. During the Cold War, an actual curtain was hanging up so that the citizens of either side couldn't see each other. Nearby is the Reichstag/Bundestag...the building has a million names, but it houses the German Parliament, and it is a huge, gorgeous building with a dome at the top. Apparently you can see everything there is to see from up there, but I didn't manage to get there. You need to reserve your place far ahead of time and give all this information just to get into the building, and we only had a few days! After seeing the building, we walked halfway across the city (at least that's what it felt like, but Berlin is honestly huge) to eat dinner near the Hackescher Market. Dr. Hosey was so sweet and got all of our tables a pitcher each of four different types of beer that the restaurant made! Too bad I'm not much of a beer drinker, but at least I gave them a try...but the fact that I haven't converted is a sign that I am just not a fan of the stuff.
The rest of the day was spent sleeping, since we were all exhausted! But the next day we began our epic travels around town. We went to the Topography of Terror, which stands on the remains of the center of Nazi Germany, and just in front of the building is a stretch of the Berlin Wall that wasn't torn down. You can still see the graffiti...a message to a mother, goodbyes, etc. You could have spent hours in the museum, but we had a limited amount of time because we were on to the next stop: the holocaust memorial. A long series of gray rectangular columns are laid out and from far away, they look to be about the same size, but it is an illusion. The ground slopes down and up throughout, so when you're standing in the midst of them, they can reach up to 15 feet or so. It is like a labyrinth in there, and you can lose your way. There is one column for every page of the Talmud. Our next stop on Dr. Hosey's custom tour was Checkpoint Charlie. It was the third official spot for people to cross from East to West Germany (there were two others, Alpha and Bravo). The signs are still up, and there are parts of the wall still standing there as well. There, Dr. Hosey let us go to go around the city on our own. Danielle, Maire, Lauren, and I went into the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, which was packed! Like the Topography of Terror, this one was so full of information, we could have spent all day in there. Before we left to wander, we ate at McDonald's, and just to let you know, if you're ever in Germany, maybe you will be brave enough to try the McCurrywurst. It sounds like the worst thing ever, but who knows!
Next, we hopped on the S-Bahn to the Pergamon. Inside, they have reconstructions and original structures of ancient buildings like the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon, an Ancient Greek temple. Being a huge fan of all things Ancient Greek, I was basically in heaven! They still had a significant amount of the friezes depicting the Gods and Goddesses and Titans intact, and they were a sight to see. Luckily we were able to see enough of the museum before we had to sprint to the train and through Kurfaustendam Street to meet Becky, Rachel, and Christina for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe! I know, it's definitely not German food, but with our Berlin Pass, we could get a free dessert or soft drink with our dinner so we figured we would take advantage of it. Plus, I had never been to a Hard Rock before. It seems like one of those things you should do at some point in your life. Our waiter, Roger, was a really interesting character. He kept shouting "Aye, aye, aye, LOVE YA!" I got the haystack chicken salad and it was delicious, even though Danielle picked on me for getting a salad and not a burger...she called my dinner the dinner of her dinner. Even though we split a sundae between the seven of us, we went to Haggen Daas after to get more delicious ice cream (like we did the rest of the days as well...) We stopped by the Ampelman store. Here's the story behind that: you know when you're crossing the street and there's a sign flashing go or stop and it's usually a person or a hand, or sometimes just a light, obviously. Well the sign in Berlin is the Ampelman. He has a hat, and his arms and legs are in motion, and his stopped version just has his arms out. Yes, they have entire stores dedicated to him, and I got myself a t-shirt! I'm ashamed to say I didn't experience too much of the night life while in Berlin. It is exhausting to walk an entire city all day long and then try to go out at night, but at least I wasn't the only one. Most of our group actually stayed in!
As if we didn't visit enough museums that first day, we really went all our our second day! We visited the Naturkunde (natural history museum), the Anne Frank museum where we saw her actual diary on loan from the museum in Amsterdam, the Humboldt Box, and the Alte national museum. We were also scolded by some scary German people at every place we went today. The language barrier was a serious problem! Danielle was set on seeing some Monet paintings, and although I was only expecting one or two at best, they had all of the Impressionists there, including my two favorite: Degas and Renoir! They were just as beautiful in person as they are photographed, if not even more amazing. For dinner that night, again, we didn't go anywhere German. Instead, I had some of the best Italian food I've ever had eating out (because nothing can compare to my mother's or Nana's). Is there anything better than some classic thin crust pizza margherita with fresh basil leaves and gorgonzola spinach penne with a glass of pinot grigio? After dinner we went to this way fancy bar, ordered way too expensive drinks, had some maize (fried, spiced corn) and then went home. I was tempted to try the absinthe just to say that I had some...but I chickened out, unfortunately!
On our final day in Berlin, a big group of us students along with the McFee family took a 40 minute train ride out to one of the earliest constructed concentration camps at Sachsenhausen. I only took a picture of the outside, and I don't know if I will describe anything about it here. All I can say is that it was truly a terrifying, sad, and yet memorable experience. Afterward, we traveled back into the city and walked around to do some retail therapy and get some ice cream to lift our spirits. Lauren finally got to visit the epic Christmas store on Kurfurstendamm, which is basically three floors of winter wonderland. It was so pretty in there...but like 20 some dollars was the cheapest ornament! I did a little shopping of my own after searching for some really good deals...a dress and a sweater (seriously I'm addicted to sweaters) as some new additions to my wardrobe. On our way back to our hotel we decided to make a visit to the BMW store we'd passed several times before. We played some games, sat in the cars, and talked to the nice man who was probably trying to sell us something. At least I got a little German toy car out of it as a souvenir. I seriously love free stuff and I'm a hoarder so I'll end up with that thing forever. The four of us also stopped at this little organic food market near the hotel where I got a meal for our travels back since we weren't really going to have time for breakfast. I got organic popcorn, granola bars, and an apple for a little over 2 euro. Who would have thought that organic would be cheaper than the stuff in the grocery store? If only it was like that back home.
All in all, I would say that Berlin is a must-see. I never would have thought before, and I never would have come on my own, but I had the best time there. Even with three and half days, there is so much that I didn't do, including the zoo (one of the best in Europe), the inside of the Berliner Dom, about half of museum island, and so much more! I had a blast...and more to come on my parents' visit to Ireland!
We saw the Brandenburg Gate which marked the official divide between East and West Germany. During the Cold War, an actual curtain was hanging up so that the citizens of either side couldn't see each other. Nearby is the Reichstag/Bundestag...the building has a million names, but it houses the German Parliament, and it is a huge, gorgeous building with a dome at the top. Apparently you can see everything there is to see from up there, but I didn't manage to get there. You need to reserve your place far ahead of time and give all this information just to get into the building, and we only had a few days! After seeing the building, we walked halfway across the city (at least that's what it felt like, but Berlin is honestly huge) to eat dinner near the Hackescher Market. Dr. Hosey was so sweet and got all of our tables a pitcher each of four different types of beer that the restaurant made! Too bad I'm not much of a beer drinker, but at least I gave them a try...but the fact that I haven't converted is a sign that I am just not a fan of the stuff.
The rest of the day was spent sleeping, since we were all exhausted! But the next day we began our epic travels around town. We went to the Topography of Terror, which stands on the remains of the center of Nazi Germany, and just in front of the building is a stretch of the Berlin Wall that wasn't torn down. You can still see the graffiti...a message to a mother, goodbyes, etc. You could have spent hours in the museum, but we had a limited amount of time because we were on to the next stop: the holocaust memorial. A long series of gray rectangular columns are laid out and from far away, they look to be about the same size, but it is an illusion. The ground slopes down and up throughout, so when you're standing in the midst of them, they can reach up to 15 feet or so. It is like a labyrinth in there, and you can lose your way. There is one column for every page of the Talmud. Our next stop on Dr. Hosey's custom tour was Checkpoint Charlie. It was the third official spot for people to cross from East to West Germany (there were two others, Alpha and Bravo). The signs are still up, and there are parts of the wall still standing there as well. There, Dr. Hosey let us go to go around the city on our own. Danielle, Maire, Lauren, and I went into the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, which was packed! Like the Topography of Terror, this one was so full of information, we could have spent all day in there. Before we left to wander, we ate at McDonald's, and just to let you know, if you're ever in Germany, maybe you will be brave enough to try the McCurrywurst. It sounds like the worst thing ever, but who knows!
Next, we hopped on the S-Bahn to the Pergamon. Inside, they have reconstructions and original structures of ancient buildings like the Ishtar Gate of Babylon and the Pergamon, an Ancient Greek temple. Being a huge fan of all things Ancient Greek, I was basically in heaven! They still had a significant amount of the friezes depicting the Gods and Goddesses and Titans intact, and they were a sight to see. Luckily we were able to see enough of the museum before we had to sprint to the train and through Kurfaustendam Street to meet Becky, Rachel, and Christina for dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe! I know, it's definitely not German food, but with our Berlin Pass, we could get a free dessert or soft drink with our dinner so we figured we would take advantage of it. Plus, I had never been to a Hard Rock before. It seems like one of those things you should do at some point in your life. Our waiter, Roger, was a really interesting character. He kept shouting "Aye, aye, aye, LOVE YA!" I got the haystack chicken salad and it was delicious, even though Danielle picked on me for getting a salad and not a burger...she called my dinner the dinner of her dinner. Even though we split a sundae between the seven of us, we went to Haggen Daas after to get more delicious ice cream (like we did the rest of the days as well...) We stopped by the Ampelman store. Here's the story behind that: you know when you're crossing the street and there's a sign flashing go or stop and it's usually a person or a hand, or sometimes just a light, obviously. Well the sign in Berlin is the Ampelman. He has a hat, and his arms and legs are in motion, and his stopped version just has his arms out. Yes, they have entire stores dedicated to him, and I got myself a t-shirt! I'm ashamed to say I didn't experience too much of the night life while in Berlin. It is exhausting to walk an entire city all day long and then try to go out at night, but at least I wasn't the only one. Most of our group actually stayed in!
As if we didn't visit enough museums that first day, we really went all our our second day! We visited the Naturkunde (natural history museum), the Anne Frank museum where we saw her actual diary on loan from the museum in Amsterdam, the Humboldt Box, and the Alte national museum. We were also scolded by some scary German people at every place we went today. The language barrier was a serious problem! Danielle was set on seeing some Monet paintings, and although I was only expecting one or two at best, they had all of the Impressionists there, including my two favorite: Degas and Renoir! They were just as beautiful in person as they are photographed, if not even more amazing. For dinner that night, again, we didn't go anywhere German. Instead, I had some of the best Italian food I've ever had eating out (because nothing can compare to my mother's or Nana's). Is there anything better than some classic thin crust pizza margherita with fresh basil leaves and gorgonzola spinach penne with a glass of pinot grigio? After dinner we went to this way fancy bar, ordered way too expensive drinks, had some maize (fried, spiced corn) and then went home. I was tempted to try the absinthe just to say that I had some...but I chickened out, unfortunately!
On our final day in Berlin, a big group of us students along with the McFee family took a 40 minute train ride out to one of the earliest constructed concentration camps at Sachsenhausen. I only took a picture of the outside, and I don't know if I will describe anything about it here. All I can say is that it was truly a terrifying, sad, and yet memorable experience. Afterward, we traveled back into the city and walked around to do some retail therapy and get some ice cream to lift our spirits. Lauren finally got to visit the epic Christmas store on Kurfurstendamm, which is basically three floors of winter wonderland. It was so pretty in there...but like 20 some dollars was the cheapest ornament! I did a little shopping of my own after searching for some really good deals...a dress and a sweater (seriously I'm addicted to sweaters) as some new additions to my wardrobe. On our way back to our hotel we decided to make a visit to the BMW store we'd passed several times before. We played some games, sat in the cars, and talked to the nice man who was probably trying to sell us something. At least I got a little German toy car out of it as a souvenir. I seriously love free stuff and I'm a hoarder so I'll end up with that thing forever. The four of us also stopped at this little organic food market near the hotel where I got a meal for our travels back since we weren't really going to have time for breakfast. I got organic popcorn, granola bars, and an apple for a little over 2 euro. Who would have thought that organic would be cheaper than the stuff in the grocery store? If only it was like that back home.
All in all, I would say that Berlin is a must-see. I never would have thought before, and I never would have come on my own, but I had the best time there. Even with three and half days, there is so much that I didn't do, including the zoo (one of the best in Europe), the inside of the Berliner Dom, about half of museum island, and so much more! I had a blast...and more to come on my parents' visit to Ireland!
1.) Thanks for the shout out <3
ReplyDelete2.) You are known for layering everywhere you go pretty much.
3.) I'm glad you got to meet Winston Churchill's bust.
4.) Beer sucks.
5.) Did you hear about Justin Bieber writing in the guestbook at Anne Frank's house saying how he hoped she would have been a belieber? How arrogant is that?
6.) Degas <3
7.) Geez do I have to take back your New Girl poster and add.. Nothing good happens with absinthe.
I think that you absolutely must add that. We should just keep making new girl life lessons posters and sell them for profit. I can't tell you how many times I think of that over here because my life basically runs on those lessons (for example today: there is nothing wrong with watching tv all day)
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